This award is given each year to honor a book or books of outstanding literary merit in which children or young people deal in a positive and realistic way with difficulties in their world and grow emotionally and morally. In addition to being a well-known author of articles about children's books, Josette Frank was the first editor of the Children's Book Committee publications and remained a member for over sixty years.The prize to the author of the award books has been generously provided by The Florence L. Miller Memorial Fund.

She shared this honor with The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly. The other honorees were Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream by Tanya Lee Stone and Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11 by Brian Floca for nonfiction, and Red Sings from Treetops by Joyce Sidman, illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski for the picture book award. Everyone but Jacqueline Kelly was on hand to accept their award, and it was a lovely ceremony.

I know Grace was a little relieved to know that Newbery Honor winners do not give speeches, but she did have to give a few words to accept this award. And wow, what words they were. Grace seriously brought the room to tears with her heartfelt, beautifully written speech.

After all of the speeches (and to be honest, Grace wasn't the only talk that made me tear up!), the authors signed books. They were seated behind a desk with quite a bold sign, and Grace showed us what kind of rebel she is:

Grace, me, agent Rebecca Sherman, and Connie

Afterwards, the winners (and a few guests--including me!) had lunch with the committee members. It was nice hanging out with old friends and meeting new ones.

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